Homemade Second Chances
by Socrates7727
Summary: It's Father's Day and each child makes Harry a present! Some are more straightforward than others... platonic HPDM written for the IWSC summer camp


AN I don't own HP or any of the characters! Written for the IWSC summer camp.

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Story Title: Homemade Second Chances

Activity/Round: Pottery- Totally Kiln it.

Prompt: Write about the Next-Gen kids making something for their parents on their birthday/anniversary/mothers day/fathers day. (50 points)

Word Count: 1135

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It wasn't Harry's first Father's Day, but that didn't make it any less special. He and Ginny had split years ago, but that didn't mean that he loved his children any less. It was six am, but that didn't stop them from piling into his bed with breakfast (only moderately burnt) and presents. They were stubborn and impatient in all the best ways, just like him.

"Mine first!" James, the youngest, was already seven but Harry still somehow expected a nonsensical crayon drawing as his present. Instead, he got a small, oddly shaped wad of wrapping paper.

It's adorable. A small, handmade clay broom that zooms around the room and crashes violently into the walls because it was definitely made by a child. Harry quickly traps it back in the box, running his fingers over the individually carved bristles that Ginny no doubt helped with, before thanking him.

Lily was next, at ten years old, and she knew it. She clamoured over to the present-giving spot on the bed and handed over her gift with the biggest smile Harry had ever seen. He spelled the box open, too impatient to wrap every little corner and edge.

"I didn't make all of it… but I helped Antony put it together and seal the charm." It was a watch. Lily had the audacity to look close to ashamed, as if he might not like it, but he was too caught up in the beauty of it. Apparently Antony, Ginny's current clock-making boyfriend, was a good influence on Lily. And Harry couldn't even be slightly irritated, because it was easily the most gorgeous watch he'd ever seen. Except, instead of once face, it had four.

"Lil? What's…" But then he saw it. The largest face at the center displayed the current time and each of the three, smaller faces had a name engraved above it. _Albus, Lily, James_. She grinned at his lack of understanding, now proud more than embarassed.

"It's magic, daddy. Each one tells you what time it would be if you came to see us, wherever we are. We're all in the same room right now, which is why they're all the same time, but it works for anywhere. Even Hogwarts!" Harry wanted to cry. Lily was his unofficial favorite—he would never actively choose favorites, of course, but they just seemed to match the best personality wise—and he wanted to sob like a child because she was so bloody _thoughtful_. He couldn't imagine sending her off to Hogwarts, even if it was only a few short months away.

But, James was growing impatient and already trying to ball the wrapping paper up tight enough to make a weapon so he just thanked Lily, his voice choked, and moved to Albus. The oldest, at thirteen, Al stood beside the bed and offered a small black box.

"I didn't make this part, exactly, but… Well, you'll see. Scorp helped." Harry almost hesitated, hearing that name. Scorpius Malfoy was Al's best friend and Harry honestly had nothing but love for the boy but he didn't entirely trust the two when they got to plotting together. It was Father's Day, though, so he decided to be brave and he opened the box.

Nothing exploded, which was a plus. Rather than some kind of gag gift or trick, Harry opened the box to find a set of cufflinks. Wait, no, it was just one. A single, beautiful, silver cufflink in the shape of a snake with two emeralds for eyes. It was beautiful, and clearly expensive, but just one? Al jumped in before he could even ask.

"I told you Scorp helped. It's part of a set, of course, and its rightful owner might just try to get it back at some point. You might also notice something missing… Don't be mad." Al darted out the door, muttering about leaving the stove on or fetching the mail, before Harry could try to wring his neck. The boy was grinning, though, even from the safety of the hallway, and Harry couldn't be mad.

He could, however, guess who the cufflink belonged to. Even without the hint that Scorpius had helped, he would have known. He'd never seen something so expensive or so _Slytherin_ in his lifetime and there was only one person who fit that bill. But what had Al taken of his?

It wasn't until that night, after the kids had finally gone to bed, that Harry stopped to take stock of his belongings. Everything seemed to be in order, except… his glasses. He didn't usually wear them during the day because he'd gotten contacts after Hogwarts, but he could see now that one of the lenses had been carefully removed. With magic… damn third year curriculum! So Malfoy had half of his glasses, apparently. Wonderful.

A week later, Harry finally worked up the courage to pay a visit to Malfoy Manor. Draco answered the door on the first knock, which was startling in itself but made especially so by the fact that he'd never answered it before. Harry had dropped Albus off for multiple playdates, and it had always been Astoria who greeted him with a smile. She wasn't there, though, and he could hear the two boys giggling deviously nearby.

"Malfoy, I believe you have something of mine." Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Likewise." They shooed the two boys off to play in the gardens, and Harry expected to be handed the lense and asked to leave but, instead, Malfoy offered him tea. He accepted, weirdly enough, and found himself sitting on a small sofa across from the blond he'd only manage to catch glimpses of since graduating.

"So, what did Scorpius say when he gave you your present? Al just kind of ran away after giving me mine, and said I would understand later." Malfoy sipped his tea, but didn't glare.

"He said it was a second chance." Harry choked on his drink, both at the comment and at the sudden seriousness in Malfoy's voice, but Draco—and he was Draco, now—seemed unconcerned.

"A second chance at what?" He watched, half wanting to flee, as Draco set down his cup and offered his hand to shake.

"At us, I believe. They hate that we don't get along, so what do you say? Truce?" Harry gaped, but shook the hand. He felt like they were eleven all over again, and half of him wanted to spit out some kind of insult but the other half was overcome by the new version of Draco that was sitting in front of him. The blond almost looked… pleased?

"Truce." Harry couldn't help shaking his head. Leave it to Al to give him the only present in the entire world that he hadn't actually wanted. It wasn't homemade but, evidently, it was exactly what he'd needed.

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Thanks so much for reading!


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